The Snapshots in Time Collection

Fire-Gutted Stone Building Entrance, Hiroshima, Japan, Post-Atomic Bomb, 1945

Fire-Gutted Stone Building Entrance, Hiroshima, Japan, Post-Atomic Bomb, 1945

This photograph captures the stone entrance of a large building in Hiroshima left standing after the atomic bombing of August 6, 1945. While the reinforced masonry facade survived the blast and subsequent firestorm, the structure's interior was completely gutted by fire. Japanese civilians are shown moving through the debris-strewn street, a scene repeated throughout the city as residents began the long process of recovery amid widespread devastation. Project: 218164